BJP divides, Congress practices politics of love: Rahul Gandhi

Churu/Alwar: Ahead of the Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi made an emotional pitch at the election rallies here, accused the BJP of sparking communal tensions in the country for political benefits, and equated the plight of Uttar Pradesh`s riot-ravaged Muzaffarnagar district`s people with himself.

While addressing a rally in Churu in poll-bound Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi said: "My grandmother was murdered. My father was murdered. Now I may also be killed one day. I don`t care about it."

Rahul revealed, in detail, his emotions on his grandmother’s assassination.

Rahul said: “I knew Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, and used to play badminton with them. They were my friends.” Satwant Singh and Beant Singh were Indira Gandhi’s guards who killed her in coldblood.

Throwing light on the unfortunate episode, Rahul said that Beant Singh used to ask him where Indira Gandhi slept.

“He (Beant) told me if someone ever threw a hand grenade, I should immediately lie down on the ground. Initially, I didn’t understand as why he was telling me all this, but later realised that they were planning to kill my grandmother by hurling a grenade.”

Recounting the horrific day when Indira Gandhi was killed, Rahul said, “I was in classroom at my school when someone approached my teacher and whispered something in her ears. The teacher told me to go home immediately. I called up home from principal`s office. I heard a scream from our housemaid. I was told something wrong had happened to my grandmother".

Gandhi said he and his sister Priyanka were taken home, hidden under the passenger seats of a car by bodyguards.

"When I reached home, I saw blood of my grandmother on the road and the blood of two security guards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, in a room. They had always been like my friends."

Rahul said that he was very angry because of his grandmother’s murder and added that it takes years to get rid of anger but it takes one minute to incite it. "The incident filled me with a rage. It took me 10-15 years to calm down my anger," said Gandhi.

“I have faced this twice, they killed my grandmother and my father and they might kill me too, but I am not afraid,” Rahul exhorted.

The Congress vice president accused political parties of inciting violence for political gains.

Gandhi added that recently a legislator from Punjab was sitting in his room.

"The legislator told me that had he met me 20 years ago, he would have murdered me. But now he wanted to hug me. The point I want to drive home is that nobody has in-built anger. Anger is instilled by political parties. It takes years to calm down the anger, but a minute to ignite it. That is why I am against BJP and its politics," said Gandhi.

He accused the BJP of causing bloodshed for political benefits.

"I am against the kind of politics BJP does as they spark fire of tension for political benefits... they hurt people for political gains."

"They will go to Muzaffarnagar and set fire in it. They will go to Gujarat and set fire in it. They will go to UP and Kashmir and will do the same. We have to run from pillar to post to douse the fire."

Referring to his Muzaffarnagar visit with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul said communal violence in the area reminded him of his own story. “On my Muzaffarnagar visit I met Hindus and Muslims and it was a sad feeling. I saw the replica of mine," said Rahul.

He said he wants "India to stay together, stand together".

Rahul was very critical of the political system of the country and said that the political system is being run by 300-500 people. “This is the biggest deficit facing this country. I want that this political system to be run by lakhs of people,” Rahul exhorted.

The Gandhi scion also emphasised on bringing the rich and the poor together.

"The BJP divides people, but I want the people of India to be united."

He said anger is not only generated by murder, but also by lack of basic amenities.

"Unemployment and hunger also create anger. We are working towards eradicating these things. That is why we brought in employment guarantee scheme and food security bill," said Gandhi.

He added that the Congress wants to develop an infrastructure to promote manufacturing.

The Gandhi scion said he wants the youth to have political rights in their pockets just like they have mobiles.

In Alwar, Rahul Gandhi said that his mother doesn`t like him talking about her during his speeches.

Sonia Gandhi was not happy when Rahul told people at a rally how she had been in tears for not being able to cast her vote in Lok Sabha during the passage of the Food Security Bill.

"She called me up later and told me to share his story and not hers if I had to. She said she did not feel good about it," Rahul said.

Sharing his story with people, Rahul Gandhi recalled how his grandmother Indira Gandhi would save him from a disciplinarian father that Rajiv Gandhi was.

He further said two members of his family were killed by terrorists – his father and grandmother. "A Sikh person stood by my grandmother during bad times. But in five-six years, things changed."

Calling himself a victim of terrorism, Rahul Gandhi said he was not alone. "Lakhs of people in the country have been affected by terrorism."

Recounting violence in Muzaffarnagar, Rahul Gandhi said, "The one thing that our opposition does is put in hatred in people`s hearts. They make Hindus and Muslims fight."

"India will not progress with anger and hatred but with unity," he noted.

The Gandhi scion told a huge rally that till the voices of the common man and women do not reach behind the closed doors of power, there will be no change.

He also vowed to make place for the common man in the political system.

"We want people to be together, live in peace. Congress practices the politics of love," added Gandhi.

Meanwhile, discus thrower Krishna Poonia joined the party at the rally in Churu today.

In Alwar, there was a moment of embarrassment for the Congress managers when a group of youngsters in the crowd raised slogans in favour of the BJP`s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.